Nicci Farley (28) will be pounding London's streets on Sunday to raise money for the Samaritans.

Nicci, a volunteer at Winchester's Samaritans in Upper High Street, hopes to raise around £1,500 when she runs the marathon.

Her colleagues will be lining the route to cheer her on, she said, as she tackles the 26-mile race for the first time.

"I have been training for about ten months altogether and the furthest I have run so far was 18 miles, between Salisbury and Sparsholt.

"It's more intensive than I expected, especially during the winter when it was cold and muddy," said Nicci.

This week she has been eating pasta, resting and gearing up for the big day, when she will be wearing a tee-shirt bearing the number of the national helpline for the Samaritans.